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Ritsurin Garden (designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty)
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Roadside Station Shodoshima Olive Park
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Tamamo Park (Ruins of Takamatsu Castle)
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Kotohira Onsen Kotosankaku
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Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio
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Shikoku Mura open-air museum
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Zentsuji Temple
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Temple No. 84, Yashimaji Temple
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Konpira Grand Theatre (Kanamaru-za)
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Marine Station Naoshima
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15 Best Cat Island Across Japan
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Best Places To See Wild Animals In Japan
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6 of the best places to see wild monkeys in Japan
Travel Plans
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- Indulge yourself in art! A Naoshima cycling plan
- 1days
- This is a cycling plan around Naoshima Island, the art island in the Seto Inland Sea that is visited by people from all over the world. Visitors can enjoy the delicious cuisine and rice of the island, including “red pumpkin,” the symbol of the island, the art museum designed by Tadao Ando, as well as public art baths! Enjoy the leisurely rhythm of island life and the warmth of the local islanders.
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- A one-day sightseeing plan for Shodoshima that includes a visit to some popular noodle shops
- 1days
- A visit from Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture to Shodoshima for a day of sightseeing. Having tasted the famous udon noodles at Hashigo in Takamatsu, you board the ferry for Shodoshima, a laid-back island with some superb scenery to photograph. Driving around the island, you get to visit an old soy sauce warehouse and a resort and taste some of Kagawa's best food.
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- Enjoy the blessings of the island! Shodoshima one day driving plan
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- Shodoshima Island is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, after Awaji Island. If you don’t have much time it is recommended to sightsee by car which can use time effectively! This plan fully introduces the blessings of the island, such as magnificent natural scenery, a photogenic road station, and exquisite tasting rice bowl dishes. The times of low tide on Angel Road change depending on the day, so please check the homepage beforehand.
- Create your own Travel Plan
Travel Guide
View moreBest Events
Top Things to do
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- Ritsurin Garden (designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty)
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4.51553 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Takamatsushi Ritsurinchou 1-20-16
- Situated in the eastern foothills of Shiun-zan (Mt. Shiun), Ritsurin Garden was formerly the garden of a daimyo (feudal lord), and is now a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Of the gardens in Japan that are designated as Special Places of Scenic Beauty, this is one of the largest. The Garden comprises the North Garden, which was completed in modern times, and the South Garden, which features a circuitous path round a pond. With the verdant greenery of Mt. Shiun as a backdrop, the Ritsurin Garden is beautifully laid out, with six ponds and thirteen artificial hills; in every season (spring, summer, autumn and winter) the garden has its own unique majesty. There are a number of places to stop and rest within the garden, including the Higurashi-tei teahouse and the Ritsurin-an shop, which sells local specialty products from various parts of Kagawa Prefecture. The garden can be reached by bus from JR Takamatsu Station; get off at the “Ritsurin Garden” stop.
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- Roadside Station Shodoshima Olive Park
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4.0428 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Shouzugunshoudoshimachou Nishimura A: 1941-1
- This rest area is located within Shodoshima Olive Park in Shodoshima Town, Shodoshima County, Kagawa Prefecture. About 2,000 olive trees and over 130 types of herbs are cultivated here, and the park offers an expansive view of the Seto Inland Sea. The pure white “Greek windmill” and other features give the area a distinctly Mediterranean feel. The site includes a cafe with a wonderful view, as well as the “Olive Museum,” which has a shop that offers various olive-themed goods. There’s also an herb garden and the rocket used in the live-action adaptation of “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” along with a natural hot spring, a craft workshop facility, a lodging facility, and more. The cherry blossoms from late March through early April are gorgeous, and there are night cherry blossom light-up events held as well.
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- Tamamo Park (Ruins of Takamatsu Castle)
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4.0349 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Takamatsushi Tamamochou 2-1
- Takamatsu Castle was the residence of the Ikoma family, the lords of Sanuki Province, and subsequently of the Matsudaira clan, the rulers of the Takamatsu domain. Tamamo Park has been created around the Castle ruins. Takamatsu Castle was famous as one of Japan’s three great “water castles.” The Castle’s Ushitorayagura Tower and Tsukimiyagura Tower still survive, along with the Hiunkaku villa and garden, which has been designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. With beautiful cherry blossom in the spring, a chrysanthemum exhibition in the autumn, etc., there is plenty to see and do at any time of year.
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- Kotohira Onsen Kotosankaku
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4.0397 Reviews
- 685-11, Kodairacho, Nakatado-gun, Kagawa Prefecture
- A five-minute walk from the front approach to Kotohiragu Shrine, this is one of the largest hot spring inns on Shikoku. They offer a luxurious experience and an elaborate array of baths including a large common bath, an open-air bath, and their famous rose bath. They have a day-use plan for groups of 10 or more.
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- Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio
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4.0262 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Shouzugunshoudoshimachou Tanoura
- This is a theme park that has repurposed the open set that served as the filming location in the 1987 movie Twenty-Four Eyes. Homes, the school and fishermen’s residences that stand side-by-side harken back to the early Showa period and convey the appearance of the film’s world. In addition to the Tsuboi Sakae Memorial Museum dedicated to the author of the novel the film was based on, the Shochikuza Movie Theater that regularly screens Twenty-Four Eyes, and the “Kinema no Iori” gallery that introduces various Japanese films of the 1950s, there is also a restaurant and cafe on site.
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- Shikoku Mura open-air museum
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4.0168 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Takamatsushi Yashimanakamachi 91
- Shikoku Mura (“Shikoku Village”) is an open-air museum located about 20 minutes’ drive to the east of JR Takamatsu Station. The exhibits include traditional farmhouses from various parts of Shikoku (dating from the Edo and Meiji periods) that were moved and re-erected here, as well as traditional public buildings such as a village kabuki stage, and several traditional industrial facilities that have been designated as Important Cultural Properties, including a traditional sugar-cane processing facility. The Shikoku Mura Gallery located on the museum site exhibits a wide range of artworks, from European paintings to Oriental sculptures, etc.
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- Zentsuji Temple
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4.5184 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Zentsujishi Zentsujichou 3-3-1
- Zentsuji Temple is the grand head temple of the Shingon sect Zentsuji school, located in Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture. It is the 75th temple of the Shikoku 88-temple Pilgrimage. The area where the temple stands is known as the birthplace of Kobo Daishi (Kukai), and he himself built the temple over a period of six years from 807 with the aid of donations from his father. The temple is noted as one of the three holy sites linked to Kobo Daishi and has drawn worshipers since the olden days. Within the vast temple grounds are housed National Treasures relating to Kobo Daishi and numerous Important Cultural Properties. Saiin, or the Western Temple, is called the birthplace temple and it is here where visitors will find the ordination platform revered as the place of Kobo Daishi’s birth.
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- Temple No. 84, Yashimaji Temple
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4.0167 Reviews
- Kagawa Pref. Takamatsushi Yashimahigashimachi 1808
- The Yashima-ji Temple is an Omuro-sect Shingon Buddhist temple in Takamatsu City. It is the 84th temple visited on the Shikoku 88-temple Pilgrimage, and is said to have been founded by the monk Ganjin in 754. The Yashima-ji Temple has several Important Cultural Properties, including the Hon-do hall and the temple bell, as well as a wooden statue of a seated Senju Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) which is the main object of veneration in the temple and which can be viewed in the Homotsu-kan (Treasure Hall). Other artifacts on display in the Homotsu-kan include an illustrated scroll of the Genpei Josuiki (an extended version of the Heike Monogotari, or “Tale of the Heike”), a white banner of the Genji clan, and a folding screen painting of the Battle of Yashima.
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- Konpira Grand Theatre (Kanamaru-za)
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4.5184 Reviews
- Kogaira-cho, Nakadatsu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture 1241
- This theater, located in Kotohira, Nakatado County, Kagawa Prefecture, is the oldest extant theater in Japan. It was built in 1835 as a playhouse for providing regular entertainment to believers in the seafaring deity Konpira, who had many followers in the Edo period. In 1970, it was designated a National Important Cultural Property. For four years beginning in 1972, it was restored and reconstructed in its present location, and it exudes the style and chic of the typical Edo period theater at the time. Every April, the “Shikoku Konpira Grand Kabuki Performance” is held, which attracts many kabuki fans from outside the prefecture.
Areas

What is Kagawa?
Japan’s smallest prefecture, Kagawa, may take up just a small corner of Shikoku, but it has grown increasingly popular with the recognition of Naoshima, its "art island" in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu. Just a stone’s throw from the islands, mainland Kagawa’s prefectural capital, Takamatsu, holds history in its castle ruins and its pride and joy, Ritsurin Garden, is known as one of the country’s best gardens.
Kagawa Overviews
Climate
What to Wear
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- Warm Cloth
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- Warm Cloth
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- Jacket
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- Long
- May
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- Long
- Jun
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- Long
- Jul
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- Short
- Aug
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- Short
- Sep
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- Short
- Oct
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- Long
- Nov
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- Jacket
- Dec
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- Warm Cloth
Getting Around
Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa, is one of the easiest places to access on Shikoku: The Sanyo-Tokaido Shinkansen takes just three hours to travel from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Okayama Station, from which the JR Seto-Ohashi and Yosan lines take passengers across the Seto Inland Sea to Takamatsu Station in less than an hour. For a faster journey, there are flights from both Narita Airport and Haneda Airport to Takamatsu Airport, just a 50-minute limousine bus ride to Takamatsu city center.
Access
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How to get to Takamatsu Airport
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How to get to Takamatsu(Kagawa)